I due volumi della Religione dei germani pagani, di Jan de Vries, costituiscono la più esaustiva, completa e rigorosa trattazione della religione e della mitologia degli antichi germani, e rimangono ancora oggi di monumentale importanza per la disciplina. In questo primo volume, ampio spazio viene dedicato alla disamina delle fonti letterarie, archeologiche e iconografiche, integrate con i dati trasmessi dal folklore e dalle credenze popolari. De Vries si premura di delineare i fondamenti spirituali dell'antico mondo germanico, riflesso da un lato nel complesso rapporto tra l'individuo e il quadro sociale, dall'altro nello sfaccettato concetto di anima e nella concezione della morte. A ciò si legano inscindibilmente la pratica magica e le entità soprannaturali. A de Vries interessa soprattutto delineare il rapporto con il sacro e a tale concetto dedica un corposo capitolo f inale in cui passa in rassegna non solo quest'inafferrabile ambito semantico, ma anche il complesso sistema socio-religioso che traspare dalle celebrazioni, dai sacrifici, dai luoghi sacri. L'accuratezza filologica si sposa con un'impeccabile chiarezza espositiva, che rende quest'opera non solo un fondamentale manuale di studio, ma anche una godibile, affascinante lettura.

Philosophy of Technology: An introduction for technology and business students is an accessible guide to technology’s changes , their ubiquitousness, and the many questions these raise. Designed for those with no philosophical background in mind, it is ideal for technology and engineering students or specialists who want to learn to think critically about how their work influences society and our daily lives.

The technological, business environment and daily experiences are the starting point of the book and the authors’ reflect upon these practices from a philosophical point of view. The text goes on to present a critical analysis of the subject including development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and the use of technological products and services. The abstract ideas are made easier to grasp with a story-telling approach: a vivid history of the discipline and colourful portraits of the core thinkers in this domain, as well as four case studies drawing from various engineering disciplines to demonstrate how philosophy can and should influence technology in practice.

The first comprehensive introduction to this vibrant young sub-discipline in over 20 years, this is an ideal textbook for students of technology and engineering beginning a course or project in the philosophy of their subject.

Philosophy of Technology: An introduction for technology and business students is an accessible guide to technology’s changes , their ubiquitousness, and the many questions these raise. Designed for those with no philosophical background in mind, it is ideal for technology and engineering students or specialists who want to learn to think critically about how their work influences society and our daily lives.

The technological, business environment and daily experiences are the starting point of the book and the authors’ reflect upon these practices from a philosophical point of view. The text goes on to present a critical analysis of the subject including development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and the use of technological products and services. The abstract ideas are made easier to grasp with a story-telling approach: a vivid history of the discipline and colourful portraits of the core thinkers in this domain, as well as four case studies drawing from various engineering disciplines to demonstrate how philosophy can and should influence technology in practice.

The first comprehensive introduction to this vibrant young sub-discipline in over 20 years, this is an ideal textbook for students of technology and engineering beginning a course or project in the philosophy of their subject.

Età di lettura: da 3 anni.

In the long eighteenth century, new consumer aspirations combined with a new industrious behavior to fundamentally alter the material cultures of northwest Europe and North America. This 'industrious revolution' is the context in which the economic acceleration associated with the Industrial Revolution took shape. This study explores the intellectual understanding of the new importance of consumer goods as well as the actual consumer behavior of households of all income levels. De Vries examines how the activation and evolution of consumer demand shaped the course of economic development, situating consumer behavior in the context of the household economy. He considers the changing consumption goals of households from the seventeenth century to the present and analyzes how household decisions have mediated between macro-level economic growth and actual human betterment. Ultimately, de Vries' research reveals key strengths and weaknesses of existing consumer theory, suggesting revisions that add historical realism to economic abstractions.

Raising a gifted child is both a joy and a challenge, yet parents of gifted children have few resources for reliable parenting information. The four authors, who have decades of professional experience with gifted children and their families, provide practical guidance in areas such as: characteristics of gifted children, peer relations, sibling issues, motivation and underachievement, discipline issues, intensity and stress, depression and unhappiness, educational planning, parenting concerns, finding professional help, and much more.

'Mamma e bambino' è il successivo tassello della serie che Jan de Vries dedica al benessere femminile. Il libro esplora la relazione speciale che si sviluppa tra una madre e suo figlio, focalizzando l'attenzione sui fondamentali primi anni di vita del bambino. 'Mamma e bambino' offre consigli pratici alle neo-mamme stressate dall'arrivo del primo figlio, aiutandole a riconoscere e curare i tanti disturbi dell'infanzia II saggio è corredato da un utilissimo A-Z di pronta consultazione sulle malattie infantili. Jan de Vries sottolinea la necessità che la mamma, segua uno stile di vita sano e le offre semplici linee guida per restare in forma. 'Mamma e bambino' fornisce anche preziose informazioni sulle vaccinazioni infantili, tra cui la controversa vaccinazione contro morbillo, orecchioni e rosolia (MMR), trattando l'argomento con equilibrio ed esplorando le possibili alternative.

Il volume propone un approccio alla differenti fasi della gestazione che rispetta i ritmi naturali della madre e del feto. Una parte importante è dedicata all'alimentazione: l'approccio consigliato è naturale rispetto agli elementi assunti durante la gravidanza. Un corretto apporto energetico-alimentare garantisce all'infante uno sviluppo sano e scevro da infezioni e menomazioni. Il primo rapporto tra madre e figlio si fonda proprio sulla catena alimentare, per questo motivo la dietetica prenatale ha tanta importanza in questo volume.

Nobel laureate Robert Fogel's compelling new study examines health, nutrition and technology from 1700 to 2100. Although throughout most of human history, chronic malnutrition has been the norm, a synergy between improvements in productive technology and human physiology has enabled humans to more than double their average longevity and to increase their body size by over fifty percent over the past three centuries. Larger, healthier humans have contributed to the acceleration of economic growth and technological change, resulting in reduced economic inequality, declining hours of work and a corresponding increase in leisure time. Increased longevity has also brought increased demand for health care. Fogel argues that health care should be viewed as the growth industry of the twenty-first century and systems of financing it should be reformed. His book will be essential reading for all interested in economics, demography, history and health care policy. A professor at the University of Chicago, Robert William Fogel has taught at the University of Rochester, Cambridge University, and Harvard University. He has received numerous awards and prizes for his work, including the Arthur C. Cole Prize (1968), the Schumpeter Prize (1971), the Bancroft Prize (1975), the Gustavus Myers Prize (1990), and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science (1993). Previous books include Without Consent or Contract: The Rise and Fall of American Slavery (W.W. Norton & Company, 1994) and The Fourth Great Awakening and the Future of Egalitarianism (The University of Chicago Press, 2000).